Responses to the Consultation Document of the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum (Consultation Document) | 回應「學校課程檢討專責小組」諮詢文件
| Responses to the Consultation Document of the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum (Consultation Document) | 中文原文 |
16 October 2019
Secretariat
Task Force on Review of School Curriculum
Education Bureau
Room 1301, 13/F Wu Chung House
213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Hong Kong
The Task Force on Review of School Curriculum (Task Force) was set up in November 2017 to holistically review the primary and secondary curricula and make directional recommendations on –
- How to enhance students’ capacity to learn and nurture in them the values and qualities desired for students of the 21st century
- How to better cater for students’ diverse abilities, interests, needs and aspirations;
- How to optimize the curriculum in creating space and opportunities for students’ whole-person development
- How to better articulate learning at the primary and secondary levels
The above four aspects are generally recognized by the education field as pressing issues that require due attention for solutions. We are pleased to see, with anticipation, the formation of the Task Group to look for the direction of change and strategies to address these long-time issues.
After 18 months of discussion and consultation, the Task Group published the Consultation Document in July 2019 and proposed 6 directional recommendations. Below are the responses of the Executive Committee of the HKAHSS to the recommendations.
Whole-person Development and Values Education
The Consultation Document raises the need to create space for students’ whole-person development. At the same time, it points out that large amount of homework, tests and practice exercises would hamper balanced development. It further emphasizes the importance of moral and civic education, the nurturing of diverse talents and resilience, as well as life education and life planning education (LPE). These topics of issues are of paramount importance to our students today. Yet, how do we bring forth the favourable learning environment to actualize whole-person development in our students? How do we create the necessary space to allow for the smooth implementation of life education and life planning education? While dishing out such methods as school visits, lesson inspections and preparing more “life events” exemplars by the Education Bureau (EDB), and providing professional training, the Consultation Document has made no mention about adjustments at the level of education system and overall curriculum planning.
We agreed to the necessity of strengthening Whole-person Development and Values Education in a comprehensive manner, but the strategic strength of the proposals is far from adequate. Putting the responsibility of creating space on schools is mistakenly a wrong focus. As to what substance constitutes Whole-person Development and what key concerns are in Values Education, they still need clearer elaboration.
Creating Space and Catering for Learner Diversity
The Executive Committee of HKAHSS has repeatedly commented that the current senior secondary curriculum is “too much, too wide, too deep”. Solutions recommended in the Consultation Document to allow greater flexibility for creating space to cater for student diversity included trimming the syllabus of the four core subjects, reducing the number of examination papers, differentiating the assessment level with two papers in which the highest level are set at Level 4 for the easier version while level 5** for a more different version, and opting out IES in Liberal studies (highest level: 4).
Whether or not these proposals would truly help create space hinges on the arrangement details. Would students be too concerned about their university offers that they would rather choose the “lighter” curriculum at the early stage of their senior secondary study? By what time at their senior secondary study will they be required to make the choice? What admission requirements in the core subjects and electives will universities adopt? Whether the recommendations will result in more space for students? These are critical questions to answer.
Making some adjustments to the senior secondary curriculum will perhaps help those students who have set their mind on university studies. Yet, the abilities of students are diverse. For those who will not make it to universities, the Task Group has not given them enough consideration.
The HKAHSS has reiterated time and again the importance of multiple entry-and-exit pathway to address the needs of diverse learners. Not every student is academically inclined or aspiring to pursue university studies. Can there be some ways to allow students to enter into a career path or to divert to other occupation-oriented programmes at different stages of their senior secondary schooling? Can our education system provide them with bridging programmes or a separate assessment system to allow students to gracefully exit and re-enter the senior secondary structure?
University Admission, VPET and Applied Learning
University admissions have significant impact on the teaching and learning in schools and the design of assessment. Students’ opportunities to receive tertiary education has always been our concern. Hong Kong is an international city centering much on knowledge-based economic development. However, government-subsidized university places have for years kept at the level of about 15000 (less than 30% of examination candidates). The figure is far below our neighbournig countries or other cities in mainland China. While the performance of Hong Kong students has ranked among the top in such international assessments as PISA and TIMSS, our students are deprived of the opportunity for university education.
Another issue deserves undeniable attention. Currently students must attain a General Entrance Requirement (GER) of 3322 in the core subjects to satisfy the basic admission requirement to universities. For many years, the number of male students attaining the GER is lower than that of female students. The 2018 data show that male students attaining the GER or above was 29.7% while that of female students was 45.5%. Unless we are prepared to accept significantly lower male admissions to universities than female admissions, how can we refrain from reviewing the basic requirement for university admissions?
The Consultation Document also suggested giving each school an additional quota of two nominations in the School Principal Nomination (SPN) scheme under which students with talents and achievements can be nominated in non-academic realms for designated programmes proposed by universities. Even if adopted, the increased number of university offers is still merely 15,000. It is by no means significant enough to alter the norm of examination result-based admissions. While the measure could only benefit a small number of students, we do recognize it is better than total exclusion of non-academic achievements.
As regards VPET and Applied Learning (ApL), the directional recommendations of the Task Force is correct. However the major obstacle comes from the universities as recognition of ApL results varies among universities. The other obstacle is the heavy study load of students. It would be difficult for them to undertake ApL on top of the four core subjects plus the 2 or 3 electives.
STEM Education
The Task Force recommended the stepping up STEM education in primary and secondary schools by setting up a designated committee to oversee the long term development of STEM education, including its interface at the primary and secondary levels. It also proposed defining the framework of STEM education more clearly and enhancing the support for schools implementing STEM education. However, according to experts in the arena, the core of STEM education lies in the education of mathematics and science in order to build a solid foundation of knowledge, without which integration and application cannot be achieved.
Conclusion
We appreciate the recommendations made by the Task Force on curriculum development. However, they do not seem to have given due coverage for “how to better articulate learning at the primary and secondary levels”, which is part of their terms of reference. Furthermore, little has been said on “how to enhance students’ capacity to learn and nurture in them the values and qualities desired for students of the 21st century” and thus leaving ample rooms for discussion. If the Document is merely part of an ongoing process of curriculum review, and not a concluding review of the curriculum reform, then it is clear why numerous issues are still not adequately addressed and their answers pending for further deliberation. As to how the recommendations made are to be actualized, and which institution is to be assigned with the duty to monitor the implementation and effects, the Task Force has suggested it “to be followed up under the existing mechanism by the advisory bodies or organizations such as the CDC and HKEAA”. If that is the case, we would find it even more worrying – when will Hong Kong school curriculum be able to make the necessary and effective change?
Yours truly
Tang Chun Keung
Chairperson
HKAHSS
| 回應「學校課程檢討專責小組」諮詢文件 | English-version |
學校課程檢討專責小組秘書處香港灣仔
皇后大道東 213 號
胡忠大廈 13 樓 1301 室
「學校課程檢討專責小組」成立於 2017 年 11 月，主要工作範圍是整體檢討中、小學課程，並就以下各項提出方向性建議：
- 如何讓中、小學課程既嚴謹又具前瞻性，以提升學生的學習能力和培養二十一世紀學生應具備的價值觀和素質，以應付未來挑戰和社會需要；
- 如何更能照顧學生的不同能力、興趣、需要和抱負；
- 如何優化課程，以創造空間和機會促進學生的全人發展；以及
- 如何促進中、小學階段的銜接。
上述四項均是教育界普遍認同亟須解決的問題，我們樂見專責小組的成立，也期望小組能為教育長久積累的問題提出改變方向及策略。
經過了 18 個月的討論及諮詢，委員會於二零一九年六月發表「諮詢文件」，提出六個方向的建議。香港中學校長會執委會對此有以下意見：
全人發展及價值觀教育
諮詢文件提及需要創造空間，讓學生能作全人發展，亦同時指出大量家課、測驗、操練均會窒礙全人發展，更特別強調德育及公民教育與及多元才能和抗逆力培養， 與及生命教育及生涯規劃教育的重要性。這些課題，對今天學童至為重要。但如何造就有利的學習環境，讓學生能作全人發展？如何創造空間，讓生命教育及生涯規劃教育可以順利推行？諮詢文件雖有提出方法，包括建議教育局訪校、視學，製作更多的「生活事件簿」供學校參考，與及提供專業培訓等，但卻未有在教育系統、整體課程規劃上作出調節。
我們認同「全人發展」及「價值觀教育」須全面加強，但提出的策略力度嚴重不足； 將創造足夠空間的責任交給學校，明顯地對焦錯誤；至於「全人發展」的內容如何， 與及「價值觀教育」的重點何在，還需要更明確的闡釋。
創造空間和照顧學生多樣性
香港中學校長會執委會曾多次提及目下高中課程的「過多、過闊、過深」，是次「諮詢文件」內提出解決建議，包括刪減四個核心科目的內容、減省部份卷目、將考卷分為淺（最高四級）及深（最高五**）兩個版本、選擇放棄獨立專題探究（最高四級）等等，以增加靈活性和創造空間，照顧學生的多樣性。
對於這些建議能否真正創造空間，還要看細節如何安排。學生會否因著緊大學入學而不願在高中初段便選擇淺的課程？學生需要甚麼時候作出選擇？核心科目及選修科目的成績，大學收生有何準則？在在均影響諮詢文件所作的建議，能否為學生創造空間。
在高中課程作出一些調節，或許能照顧一心進入大學就讀的學生，但學生能力各有差異，專責小組對未能進入大學的學生，照顧仍未足。香港中學校長會曾多次提出多元進出對照顧學習差異的重要性，不是每個學生都有能力、或具志向進入大學， 能否讓這些陪跑者可以按一己的意願，在高中不同階段轉入職場、或是轉讀其他職業導向課程，我們的教育體系可否提供接駁課程、或是設立另一個評核試，讓學生可以體面地離開及重新進入高中學階？
大學收生、職專及應用學習
大學收生條件影響著學校教與學及評估設計，我們一直關注香港學生接受專上教育機會。香港作為一個國際化城市，以知識型經濟發展為本，但為學生提供資助大學學位的數目多年來仍維持在 15,000 左右（少於考生人數的 30%），遠低於香港毗鄰的國家或中國城市。據不同國際評估如 PISA、TIMSS，香港學生對比世界各地，表現一直位列前茅，但我們的學生卻不能擁有同樣入讀大學的機會。
另一個不可勿視的問題是按目前 3322 作為入讀大學基線，已連續多年出現考獲大學資格的男女生數字失衡，2018 年的數據顯示核心科目考獲 3322 或以上的男生只有 29.7%，而女生則有 45.5%，除非我們接受入讀大學的男生數字長期、嚴重低於女生，否則又怎可不重新檢視入讀大學的基本要求？
諮詢文件亦提出增加每校兩個額外推薦名額，讓校長推薦在非學術範疇才能出眾並取得成就的學生。若以 15000 個入讀名額來看，推薦學生數目之少，實在難以動搖以考試成績作為單一入學準則這傳統。然而，受惠學生數目雖少，仍然比完全不考
慮非學術成就為佳。
至於職專及應用學習，專責小組所作的建議方向正確，但目前阻礙著應用學習的， 主要是不同大學對應用學習科目的認受性不一，與及目前四個核心科目加兩個或三個選修科的學習量已很沉重，學生根本未能兼顧應用學習。
STEM 教 育
專責小組建議為加強中、小學 STEM 教育，須另成立專責委員會，督導本港 STEM 教育的長遠發展，包括中、小學銜接安排，並須更清晰界定 STEM 教育，與及加強支援以協助學校推行 STEM 教育。但據這方面的專家所言，STEM 教育的核心在數學、科學教育，能為學生打好數學及科學的根基，才可談綜合及應用。
總結
我們感謝專責小組對課程發展所作出的建議，但按專責小組的工作範疇，在「如何促進中、小學階段的銜接」，似乎未有著墨。而就「如何讓中、小學課程既嚴謹又具前瞻性，以提升學生的學習能力和培養二十一世紀學生應具備的價值觀和素質，以應付未來挑戰和社會需要」方面，則仍有許多可供討論的地方，未有在諮詢文件出現。若這文件只是「現行課程持續更新過程的一部分」，而不是課程檢討的階段性總結，則許多未完滿或未有答案的課程問題仍待持續探討。至於如何落實建議、由哪個組織負責監督成效，若按專責小組建議的「 按現行機制由課程發展議會和考評局等相關法定及諮詢組織跟進。」則更讓人憂慮，香港的學校課程要待何時才能切實地作出改變。
香港中學校長會主席
鄧振強謹啓
二零一九年十月十六日